The large-scale drone attack by Ukraine on Russian air bases thousands of kilometers behind the front line is the latest episode in a long series of bold strikes by Ukrainian forces against their giant neighbor.
The attacks have caused estimated damages of $7 billion and hit 34% of Russia’s strategic bombers carrying cruise missiles. The operation demonstrated that Ukraine still has the capability to put pressure on Russia, even as Moscow intensifies its own attacks and offensive operations, as analyzed by CNN.
Military aviation expert Peter Layton stated that the loss of bombers means Russia will have to rely more on drones for future attacks on Ukraine.
Aside from short-term aerial warfare, striking air bases within Russia will be a major source of concern for Vladimir Putin, stated Carl Schuster, former Director of Operations at the US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, now a military analyst in Hawaii.
"Putin will direct more resources towards domestic security after such a security failure. Ukraine managed to deploy dozens of drone containers within visual range of important Russian strategic bases and launch massive air attacks. Can you imagine explaining that to Putin?" Schuster declared.
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And it's not even the first time since the start of the war in Ukraine that Putin has received such bad news. Since February 2022, Ukraine has achieved a series of bold strikes that have caught Russia off guard, and CNN reviews these successes, evoking a modern-day "David versus Goliath" clash.
Sinking of the pride of the Russian Black Sea Fleet
One of Ukraine's first major victories was the sinking of the cruiser Moskva, the pride of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, in the early months of the war. This incident was, in fact, the largest naval loss suffered by Russia since World War II.
In April 2022, the Southern Operational Command of Ukraine claimed that Moskva began to sink after being hit by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles Neptune.
Subsequently, Russia stated that a fire broke out on the guided missile cruiser, leading to the explosion of onboard ammunition, causing severe damage to the vessel and forcing the crew's evacuation.
Analysts have stated that the loss of the ship struck a heavy blow to the heart of the Russian navy, but also affected national pride - the event being comparable to the loss of a battleship by the US Navy during World War II or an aircraft carrier in modern times, as noted by the American television station.
What followed was a series of naval defeats for Moscow's Black Sea Fleet.
In February 2024, six maritime drones, propelled by jet skis, sank the Russian corvette with guided missiles Ivanovets. Nighttime images released by Ukrainians showed Russians firing at the drones as they rapidly approached the ship, before two of them hit the vessel's side, disabling it and causing massive explosions.
Two weeks later, multiple drones hit the Russian ship Tsezar Kunikov in the Black Sea, and it sank. Tsezar Kunikov had a crew of 87 and could carry 147 troops for landing operations and a cargo of 650 tons over a distance of 7,520 kilometers. It could also be used for mine-laying operations.
Putin's Bridge Hit Twice
Constructed following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, the 20-kilometer-long Kerch Bridge is a vital supply route for Moscow's war effort in Ukraine and a personal project for Putin, embodying his goal of connecting the peninsula to Russia.
Moscow spent approximately $3.7 billion on building this impressive infrastructure.
Ukraine even attacked the Kerch Bridge on Tuesday, an operation "promised" in the past by Kiev's intelligence services. "The operation lasted for several months. SBU agents mined the supports of this illegal construction. And today, without causing civilian casualties, the first explosive was activated at 4:44 in the morning," announced the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) on Telegram.
The underwater supports of the bridge pilots were severely damaged at the bottom after 1,100 kilograms of TNT-equivalent explosives were detonated, according to the statement cited by Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine attacked the road and rail bridge twice more, first in October 2022, then in July 2023.
More high-ranking Russian military personalities have been mysteriously assassinated inside the country in the past year. Ukraine has never claimed the killings, but it is noteworthy that many of the slain held important roles in Moscow's initiated war.
Last month, Russian vice-mayor and prominent war veteran Zaur Aleksandrovich Gurtiev was killed in an explosion in southern Russia. Russian authorities stated they are investigating all options related to this assassination, "including organizing a terrorist attack" involving Ukraine.
Gurtiev had been involved in Russian attacks on the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which destroyed about 90% of residential buildings, according to United Nations estimates.
In April, Russian authorities accused a "agent of Ukrainian special services" of terrorism after he was detained in connection with a car explosion that killed Russian General Iaroslav Moskalik, the deputy chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
And in February, Armen Sarkisian, the founder of a pro-Russian militia group in eastern Ukraine – described by Kiev authorities as a "criminal" – died in a bomb attack in the center of Moscow. The attack took place in a luxury residential complex in the Russian capital.
T.D.